CEREDIGION could become the first county in Wales to pilot a deposit return scheme for plastic bottles.

As part of its ‘Message in a Bottle’ campaign, environmental campaigners Surfers Against Sewage are calling on all governments in the UK to adopt the Deposit Return System to reduce the number of plastic bottles ending up in the world’s oceans.

DRS works by attaching a financial incentive, between 10 and 20p per bottle, to return plastic bottles to a central collection point, where the bottles will then be sent for recycling.

SAS says the system, which is similar to the 5p plastic bag charge, is already in operation in 11 countries across the world, including Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and in several states in the USA and Australia.

Speaking to the Cambrian News, Alan Cookson, Borth representative for SAS, explained the importance of preventing plastics from entering the sea.

He said: “Single-use plastic bottles all come from land. Every bottle eventually breaks down into 20,000 bits of plastic, which ends up going into the oceans.

“Fish and mammals can’t distinguish between plastic and food. For example, filter feeders, including whales and fish, can’t discern between plastic and plankton, so they eat it, and this ends up in the food chain.”

Elin Jones AM told the Cambrian News she has asked the environment minister to consider Ceredigion for a DRS pilot.

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